# Stapelia

Stapelia is a genus of low-growing, spineless, stem succulent plants, predominantly from South Africa with a few from other parts of Africa. Several Asian and Latin American species were formerly included but they have all now been transferred to other genera. The flowers of certain species, most notably Stapelia gigantea, can reach 41 cm (16 inches) in diameter when fully open. Most Stapelia flowers are visibly hairy and generate the odor of rotten flesh when they bloom.

## Description

The hairy, oddly textured and coloured appearance of many Stapelia flowers has been claimed to resemble that of rotting meat, and this, coupled with their odour, has earned the most commonly grown members of the genus Stapelia the common name of carrion flowers. A notable exception is the sweetly scented Stapelia flavopurpurea. Such odours serve to attract various specialist pollinators including, in the case of carrion-scented blooms, blow flies of the dipteran family Calliphoridae. They frequently lay eggs around the coronae of Stapelia flowers, convinced by the plants' deception.

## Cultivation

A handful of species are commonly cultivated as pot plants and are even used as rockery plants in countries where the climate permits. Stapelia are good container plants and can grow well under full sun and light to moderate watering. They should be planted in well-drained compost as the stems are prone to rotting if kept moist for long.

## Species

32 species are accepted:
* Stapelia acuminata Masson – South Africa
* Stapelia arenosa C.A.Lückh. – Cape Province
* Stapelia asterias Masson – South Africa
* Stapelia cedrimontana Frandsen – Cape Province
* Stapelia clavicorona I.Verd. – Transvaal
* Stapelia concinna Masson – South Africa
* Stapelia divaricata Masson – South Africa
* Stapelia engleriana Schltr. – tropical Africa
* Stapelia erectiflora N.E.Br. – South Africa
* Stapelia flavopurpurea Marloth – South Africa
* Stapelia gettliffei R.Pott – Transvaal
* Stapelia gigantea N.E.Br. – KwaZulu-Natal
* Stapelia glanduliflora Masson – South Africa
* Stapelia grandiflora Masson – South Africa
* Stapelia hirsuta L. – South Africa
* Stapelia kwebensis N.E.Br. – Botswana
* Stapelia leendertziae N.E.Br. – South Africa
* Stapelia × meintjiesii I.Verd. –
* Stapelia obducta L.C.Leach – Cape Province
* Stapelia olivacea N.E.Br. – South Africa
* Stapelia paniculata Willd. – South Africa
* Stapelia parvula Kers – Angola
* Stapelia pearsonii N.E.Br. – Great Namaqualand
* Stapelia pillansii N.E.Br. – South Africa
* Stapelia remota R.A.Dyer – Namibia
* Stapelia rubiginosa Nel – Little Namaqualand
* Stapelia rufa Masson – South Africa
* Stapelia schinzii A.Berger & Schltr. – Namibia
* Stapelia similis N.E.Br. – Little Namaqualand
* Stapelia surrecta N.E.Br. – Cape Province
* Stapelia unicornis C.A.Lückh. – Eswatini
* Stapelia villetiae C.A.Lückh. – Cape Province

### Unplaced names

* Stapelia × dejecta Salm-Dyck
* Stapelia fuscopurpurea N.E.Br.
* Stapelia × massonii Haw.
* Stapelia × multiflora DC.
* Stapelia × multiflora Rüst
* Stapelia × plantii Hook.f.

### Species formerly included

now transferred to other genera (Angolluma, Brachystelma, Caralluma, Duvalia, Echidnopsis, Gonolobus, Hoodia, Hoya, Huernia, Monolluma, Orbea, Orbeopsis, Pachycymbium, Piaranthus, Quaqua, Stapelianthus, Tromotriche, Tridentea, Triplosperma)
* S. adscendens now Caralluma adscendens
* S. albipilosa now Tridentea marientalensis subsp. albipilosa
* S. albocastanea now Orbeopsis albocastanea
* S. anemoniflora now Duvalia anemoniflora
* S. ango now Caralluma ango
* S. anguinea now Orbea variegata
* S. aperta now Tridentea aperta
* S. arida now Quaqua arida
* S. articulata now Pectinaria articulata
* S. atropurpurea now Orbea variegata
* S. atrosanguinea now Piaranthus atrosanguineus
* S. auobensis now Tridentea marientalensis
* S. ausana now Tridentea jucunda var. dinteri
* S. barbata now Huernia barbata
* S. bisulca now Orbea variegata
* S. bufonia now Orbea variegata
* S. campanulata now Huernia campanulata
* S. caudata now Ceropegia spathulata
* S. chinensis now Hoya carnosa
* S. choanantha now Tridentea choanantha
* S. chrysostephana now Angolluma chrysostephana
* S. ciliata now Orbea ciliata
* S. cincta now Tridentea jucunda var. cincta
* S. clavata now Trichocaulon clavatum
* S. clavigera now Huernia clavigera
* S. clypeata now Orbea variegata
* S. cochinchinensis now Triplosperma cochinchinensis
* S. compacta now Duvalia caespitosa var. compacta
* S. concolor now Duvalia caespitosa
* S. conspurcata now Orbea variegata
* S. cooperi now Orbea cooperi
* S. corderoyi now Duvalia corderoyi
* S. curtisii now Orbea variegata
* S. decaisneana now Pachycymbium decaisneanum
* S. decora now Piaranthus germinatus subsp. decorus
* S. deflexa now Orbea variegata
* S. dinteri now Tridentea jucunda var. dinteri
* S. dummeri now Orbea dummeri
* S. dwequensis now Tridentea dwequensis
* S. elegans now Duvalia elegans
* S. europaea now Caralluma europaea
* S. fucosa now Orbea verrucosa var. fucosa
* S. furcata now Orbeopsis melanantha
* S. fuscata Jacq. now Tromotriche revolut
* S. geminata now Piaranthus geminatus
* S. gemmiflora now Tridentea gemmiflora
* S. gettleffii now Gonostemon gettliffei
* S. glauca now Tromotriche revoluta
* S. gordonii now Hoodia gordonii
* S. gussoneana now Caralluma europaea
* S. guttata now Huernia guttata
* S. herrei now Tridentea herrei
* S. hircosa now Tridentea gemmiflora
* S. hirtella now Duvalia caespitosa
* S. incarnata now Quaqua incarnata
* S. irrorata now Orbea irrorata
* S. jacquiniana now Duvalia elegans
* S. jucunda now Tridentea jucunda
* S. knobelii now Orbeopsis knobelii
* S. laevis now Tromotriche pedunculata
* S. lepida now Orbea lepida
* S. longidens now Orbea longidens
* S. longii now Tridentea longii
* S. longipes now Tromotriche longipes
* S. macloughlinii now Orbea macloughlinii
* S. × maculosa now Orbea × maculosa
* S. mammillaris now Quaqua mammillaris
* S. marginata now Orbea variegata
* S. marientalensis now Tridentea marientalensis
* S. marmorata now Orbea variegata
* S. mastodes now Duvalia caespitosa var. compacta
* S. melanantha now Orbeopsis melanantha
* S. mixta now Orbea variegata
* S. montagnacii now Stapelianthus montagnacii
* S. multangula now Echidnopsis multangula
* S. namaquensis now Orbea namaquensis
* S. neliana now Tridentea herrei
* S. normalis now Orbea variegata
* S. obliqua now Orbea variegata
* S. ocellata now Huernia ocellata
* S. orbicularis now Orbea variegata
* S. pachyrrhiza now Tridentea pachyrrhiza
* S. pancololote now Gonolobus pancololote
* S. parviflora now Quaqua parviflora
* S. parvipuncta now Tridentea parvipuncta
* S. peculiaris now Tridentea peculiaris
* S. pedunculata now Tridentea pedunculata
* S. picta now Orbea variegata
* S. pilifera now Hoodia pilifera
* S. planiflora now Orbea variegata
* S. prognatha now Orbea prognatha
* S. pruinosa now Quaqua pruinosa
* S. pulchella now Orbea pulchella
* S. pulchra now Orbea verrucosa
* S. pulla now Piaranthus pullus
* S. punctata now Gonolobus luteus
* S. quadrangula now Monolluma quadrangula
* S. quinquenervis now Orbea variegata
* S. radiata now Duvalia caespitosa
* S. ramosa now Quaqua ramosa
* S. reclinata now Duvalia caespitosa var. caespitosa
* S. replicata now Duvalia caespitosa var. caespitosa
* S. reticulata now Huernia reticulata
* S. retusa now Orbea variegata
* S. revoluta now Tromotriche revoluta
* S. rogersii now Angolluma rogersii
* S. roriflua now Orbea verrucosa
* S. rugosa J.C.Wendl. now Orbea verrucosa
* S. rugosa Donn ex Jacq. now Orbea variegata
* S. ruschiana now Tridentea ruschiana
* S. semota now Orbea semota
* S. serrulata now Piaranthus geminatus subsp. decorus
* S. stygia now Tridentea gemmiflora
* S. subulata now Caralluma subulata
* S. tapscottii now Orbea tapscottii
* S. thudichumii now Tromotriche thudichumii
* S. tubata now Huernia tubata
* S. tuberculata now Duvalia caespitosa var. caespitosa
* S. tuberosa now Brachystelma tuberosum
* S. umbonata now Tridentea pachyrrhiza
* S. umbracula now Orbea umbracula
* S. vaga now Orbea lutea subsp. vaga
* S. variegata now Orbea variegata
* S. venusta now Huernia venusta
* S. verrucosa now Orbea verrucosa
* S. virescens now Tridentea virescens
* S. wendlandiana now Orbea wendlandiana
* S. woodii now Orbea woodii